Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, these are names several people predicted to be in the Super Bowl this year. Instead the names Case Keenum, Blake Bortles, Nick Foles and Tom Brady are the only ones who can go to a Super Bowl this year. This has opened up a discussion to the public that maybe a star quarterback is not needed to create a championship winning team. Let's pump the brakes a little bit here though before we see this statement as fact.
Let's first understand that building a successful NFL team is no easy task and is even more difficult with a salary cap and countless agents of athletes trying to get their clients as much money as possible. Particularly the case with quarterbacks, who take up 17 of the 20 highest payed players in the league, which is probably why scouts, and analyst would look for a reason to not break the bank for a franchise QB, but I have always been of the opinion that football is a game of circumstances.
The reason you have seen the quarterback be prioritized in the salary cap and in the NFL draft is because of the belief that great QB can elevate a team more then any other position can, especially in a pass heavy league, and there have been examples to support this. JJ Watt, Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald were all first round draft picks who have no doubt built hall of fame careers for themselves and neither of the three have been past the first round of the playoffs (technically Watt has but he was hurt for the Texans second round game).
But all three of those men have also had at least one coaching change in their time with the team, and this right here is where I bring it back to about my point of circumstance. To me the positions that lead to the success of a franchise, even more then the QB, is the GM, the coaching staff and the leaders of the organization.
If an organization is stable and hires a good coaching staff that can develop talent and use their talent to its best capability, with a great game plan, that to me is what leads to success even over a QB with a great arm. Yes, you want a QB that doesn’t turn the ball over and can make the throws you need him to but not every QB plays like Rodgers or Brees or even Brady.
We've seen with the LA Rams for example, that a coaching staff with a direction can quickly change things. Jeff Fisher made the Rams mediocre; Sean McVay turned the Rams into contender and made Todd Gurley and Jared Goff into possible MVP’s.
Yes, anyone should take an Aaron Rodgers if they can get one. But football is a team game and one person nor QB can do it alone or with the foundation beside him to have success.
It may be a weird analogy but, a football team is like a sandwich, and a sandwich is not much without the bread on the top or bottom.
